Songs of War
photo by: Wendell Ward
Many Americans realize that during the Viet Nam War, music was blasted from speakers in an attempt to subdue the enemy on the field. But how many of us know that music was co-opted by the CIA’s “Enhanced Interrogation” program installed during the Bush administration?
Christopher Cerf, long-time Sesame Street musician and composer, was dismayed by the discovery that his theme song composed for children had been deployed for psychological torture.
Christopher had to know more. He followed the trail into the recent and distant past to learn how the beauty of music can be manipulated to become an instrument of war. His journey into the subject was filmed by Al Jazeera English. The film encourages us to ask what is necessary and morally acceptable in a democracy that values decency.
See Multimedia Content below for the VIDEO: “Songs of War” and a link to issues surrounding Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:
